Mental wellness for kids: Emotional support a key trend, says mum-founded supplements brand I’m Nutrients

Aussie-based supplements brand I’m Nutrients develops targeted formulations that meet children’s needs, with mental wellness as one of the key focusses of its products.

Mum-founder Britanny Darling of I’m Nutrients feels that apart from facing academic stress, children today are also dealing with technology-induced anxiety.

“The gaming and the way they interact socially, especially as COVID kids, has become an issue. They face more complex problems, like cyberbullying, than we did as children. It’s an uncharted territory for them and for us as parents,”​ said Darling.

A problem-solution approach​

To help parents make the right choices, I’m Nutrients formulates supplements using the problem-solution method, offering targeted solutions for specific issues.

“This helps parents identify what their children need rather than just offering multivitamins, fish oil, or probiotics, which we all know are good for your kids, but most don’t really understand why their kids are taking them. Let’s say if a child needs support with emotional regulation, stress, or mild anxiety, we have a product that addresses these issues,”​ said Darling.

“The trend for children’s supplements is moving away from the traditional multivitamins. People want more targeted formulations. And one of the key things that we see trending is mood support and emotional well-being. And that really is what our Calm Mind can address.”​

Calm Mind, one of the firm’s bestselling supplements, was borne out of Darling’s search for a solution to help keep her child calm at school.

She saw a gap in the market when she realised that the available supplements had drawbacks such as containing too many additives like sugars, artificial flavours, and excipients; not offering effective dosages or optimal forms of nutrients; and coming in unappealing formats like capsules or powders.

After much research and conducting multiple rounds of testing over two years, Darling launched Calm Mind under the I’m Nutrients brand in July 2020.

Calm Mind is a naturally watermelon-flavoured chewable, containing saffron, zinc, magnesium, and active vitamin B6. The active ingredients for each tablet includes 15mg dried concentrated saffron, 500 micrograms of Vitamin B6, 70mg magnesium, and 5mg Zinc. Its listed benefits include being able to calm nerves, reduce mild anxiety, and relieve irritability.

To offer a more holistic range, there are also has supplements for iron deficiency, fussy eaters, and brain development.

The berry-flavoured iron immunity chewables are suitable for children as young as two years old, with Bovine Lactoferrin as a main active ingredient that helps regulate iron absorption. As vitamin C has been shown to enhance iron absorption, naturally-sourced vitamin C from the Indian gooseberry is one of the active ingredients.

According to Darling, young children require more iron than an adult. Considering their small stomachs and the need for a substantial amount of iron, picky eating can be a significant challenge.

“As they grow, their bodies demand a lot of iron, and many children enter childhood quite iron deficient. I often see that if a mother was iron deficient during pregnancy, the child starts off at a disadvantage. When they begin eating solids and picky eating sets in, it creates a cycle that can be hard to break,”​ said Darling.

For the fussy eaters, the Fussy Essential chewable tablet is flavoured with watermelon, containing a combination of vitamins and minerals formulated specifically for children to help maintain nutrients within the normal range when dietary intake is inadequate. Iron supports cognitive development, while vitamin D3 helps maintain healthy immune system function in children. This formula also contains vitamin B5 and magnesium to support healthy nervous system function and energy production in children.

Darling also sees a great demand for the blueberry-flavoured Brain DHA chewable capsules, as the firm’s distributor has done two top-ups from their initial order in the space of one month. These capsules support brain and central nervous system development. They can be taken from 12 months of age, with each dose containing DHA-rich oil derived from microalgae Schizochytrium ​sp. 171.23mg, equivalent to 125mg DHA acid. If the child is unable to chew, each capsule can be broken with its contents mixed into food.

Much research also goes into ensuring the supplements are palatable to children.

“We use natural or nature-identical flavours when necessary. However, we are quite strict with sugars, opting for monk fruit, DVR, and xylitol. It’s about finding the right proportions of these alcohol or natural sweeteners to avoid excessive sweetness and the unpleasant lingering aftertaste. This balancing act extends to flavours as well. We think about whether to use a simple berry flavour or add a hint of vanilla, depending on what complements the supplement’s profile. For example, Calm Mind has a subtle saffron taste, and we discovered that watermelon enhances and masks the bitterness often associated with magnesium,”​ said Darling.

All of these products will soon be available in the US later this year, and in Asia next year.

Darling identified Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam as the top three Asian markets they would like to focus on due to the healthy demand for kids supplements in these regions.

Meeting children’s needs worldwide​

The firm plans to expand beyond Australia as it sees a universal desire among parents to give the best to their children.

“No matter where you are in the world, you worry whether your child’s getting enough nutrients. You want to support their learning ability, their emotional well-being, and focus on their immune health. And it’s key that we’re mum-founded and mum-run. We understand the needs of parents and children, and we can identify the gaps that need to be filled,”​ said Darling, who also places great importance on ingredient quality.

The firm sources for its ingredients from various parts of the world. Its saffron is from Spain, the algal DHA is from Norway, and its active ingredients, such as the MenaQ7 from Gnosis by Lesaffre, are backed by scientific evidence.

As part of its marketing efforts, I’m Nutrients focusses on social media.

“We’re big on social media because that's where our fellow parents are. It helps us build a community and drive sales. Our Instagram account has very loyal followers who actively engage with our content. We provide them with nutritional information, tips, and a lot of light-hearted content. Parenting is hard, so we try to make it more enjoyable while being supportive,”​ said Darling, who credits good marketing strategies and well-placed ads on Google and Facebook for the firm’s rapid growth rate.

It was also recently labelled the “Best Complementary Medicine Brand” at the Naturally Good Awards 2024, which Darling sees as an achievement since the firm was competing with a number of established brands in the market.

Over the past year, I’m Nutrients saw an 87% increase in sales and 97% increase in total orders from Shopify excluding B2B orders.

I’m Nutrients products are available within Australia via its website and Coles Online, as well as in Harris Farm Markets, health stores and pharmacies. As it expands outside Australia, its products will also be available via Amazon and in various health stores.

The firm also plans to launch a seaweed-based gummy that will be a first for the Australian market, and possibly internationally. It will be available in August 2024.